Mike Isabella's Crazy Good Italian
Big Flavors, Small Plates
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- $18.99
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- $18.99
Publisher Description
Discover the tastes of New Jersey childhood alongside the refined flavors that come from decades in the culinary world.
Whether you know Mike Isabella as the tough-talking Top Chef competitor or as the -- chef behind hot DC restaurants Graffiato and Bandolero, you'll now be able to recreate his recipes: one part old-world inspired Italian, one part old-school Jersey, one part modern Mediterranean -- all parts delicious.
Inspired by the food his Italian-American grandmother prepared, Isabella serves up 200 recipes for everyday meals that appeal to the heart and the appetite, with a modern twist. These "small plates" versions of Mediterranean classics are food that's original and accessible, authentic without being fussy.
Isabella shares his secret family recipes, the dishes that made him famous on Top Chef, and signature meals from his restaurant, from Ricotta with Charred Scallion and Harissa to Grandma's Potato Gnocchi, Chicken Wings with Pepperoni Sauce to Carnival-Style Zeppoles. Whether you're a seasoned home cook or just starting out in the kitchen, you'll taste the pure joy these meals can bring. Delive ring lip-smacking food (and talking some smack while he's at it), Isabella makes Italian fun to cook again.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Top Chef Isabella's grandmother he grew up cooking with her in New Jersey was the inspiration behind his restaurant Graffiato in Washington, D.C., which serves small plate, "non-traditional" Mediterranean food. And in his first book, Isabella incorporates those recipes he grew up making with the food he serves at Graffiato. He describes his dishes as "recipes that make the ordinary extraordinary and incorporate ingredients and flavors that give everyday home cooking that special twist.... big, bold flavors on small plates." Isabella covers the whole food spectrum with gorgeous photos and 12 original and inventive chapter headings like "The Shell Game," "Gone Hogging," and "Lamb, lamb, goat." Dishes are simple but also exciting. The chapter "Bites and Snacks" from the Isabella household includes recipes for spicy popcorn made with parmigiano cheese and red chili flakes While the chapter "Jersey Shore Style: Everything Fried" presents soft-shell crab with polenta crust and corn. "Not Your Sunday Macaroni" is all about making fresh pasta and experimenting with different sauces such as black spaghetti with clams, pancetta, and red chili (made with squid ink pasta dough. In the end, Isabella revs up the classics with a distinctive spin.
